SDO14497 - Archaeological Watching Brief at 29-33 Market Street, Poole.

‘MITIE Property Services carried out construction works on 29-33 Market Street, Poole, a listed building dating back to the 17th century. Part of the works was to underpin a boundary wall and this was subject to an archaeological watching brief under a planning condition. The underpinning method was changed to piling rather than excavation so the watching brief was not carried out, but the clearance of a previously unknown cellar revealed historic timbers and the local planning authority requested that these were archaeologically recorded. … The beams in the cellar were probably parts of the floor/ceiling above the cellar, removed when the building was last refurbished. The artefacts retrieved from the cellar backfill suggest that the cellar was being used to dispose of rubbish in the early 20th century. Due to the unexpected discovery of asbestos, only a small proportion of the artefacts and timbers were recorded but they provide useful information about the building and its construction.’